Fort Morgan Share The Beach team thankful for tourists’ help
Fort Morgan Share The Beach team thankful for tourists’ help
By Fran Thompson
The Fort Morgan’s Share The Beach Turtle Watch team had already found 13 nests (a Kemps Ridley and 12 loggerheads) before they also found guardian angels in the way of two men and their families from Randolph, Alabama who made repairs to the team’s stranded ATV.
Zachary and Adrienne Williams and Jason and Dana Allen happened to be on the same stretch of beach when they saw Share The Beach volunteers surrounding an ATV while on patrol at about 6:40 a.m. on June 14. The vehicle would not start.
The two men imeediately did what Alabamians do in that situation. They asked if they could help.
“I was home monitoring the texts and team as they patrolled that day. We had cleared all the beach. So, I thought we were done for the day until I got the call from the team.
“Oscar (her husband) and I were there in less than 30 minutes,’’ said Gail Sanchez, who leads the 86 person/all volunteer Fort Morgan Share The Beach team along with her husband.
“The two men (brother-in-laws) both worked on the UTV for us. Zachary was the main mechanic and Jason helped him,’’ added Gail Sanchez. “Zachary not only identified the mechanical issue (a snapped transmission belt), he also repaired the vehicle for us, saving our team significant time and resources.
“To show our appreciation, we are adopting two turtle nests in their honor. Their kindness meant absolutely the world to our team, and I feel they should get all the recognition we can provide them. They are incredibly humble people and would never ask for it,’’ she added.
As she expected, the two men seemed almost embarrased to be so uniquely thanked for a good deed that that came so naturally to them.
“They were humbled and said, ‘Oh you don’t have to do that, but that sounds so cool,’’’ Gail Sanchez said. “They love sea turtles and so they are super excited to be connected to a nest in their honor.’’
As a bonus, Oscar and Gail have accepted an invitation to stay at a Sanchez family house when their nests are due to hatch.
“They both accepted our offer. So, they will be coming back down to nest sit with us and hopefully get to see their nest hatch. It was so refreshing to be a part of such pure kindness, and that is why I wanted them to be honored for their kindness and humility,’’ Gail Sanchez said.
The Fort Morgan Share The Beach coverage area stretches almost nine miles from Martinique at the west end of Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge to Fort Morgan.
Gail and Oscar have been volunteering for Share The Beach, first with the East Beach team, ever since moving to Pleasure Island four years ago.
“Helping the sea turtles was on my husband’s bucket list. So after he retired from the railroad due to a brain tumor, we moved to the beach. We signed up for Share the Beach the month we moved here,’’ Gail Sanchez said.
“We had no idea what to expect, but it has been such an amazing organization. We love the people, working with the public, and of course helping the turtles.
“This is our second year as Fort Morgan team leaders. We love our team and the love and kindness they have shown us,’’ she added.
The couple moved to Gulf Shores from Springfield, Missouri for health reasons that go beyond Oscar’s brain tumor.
“I have Cystic Fibrosis and was getting evaluated for a lung transplant and my doctor told me the salty air might be good for my lungs and my health overall, and It 100 percent has,’’ Gail Sanchez said. “My health has significantly improved and I no longer need a lung transplant or use oxygen 24/7, as I did when we moved here.’’
“We joined the Fort Morgan team because we were told that they needed help with volunteers, as they have so much beach to patrol. The team immediately treated us as family. And we knew we had found our home. We are praying that one day God would open up the doors for us to be able to purchase a home in Fort Morgan.’’
Pictured: Fort Morgan Share The Beach team leaders Gail and Oscar Sanchez present nest adoption certificates to Zachary and Adrienne Williams and Jason and Dana Allen. 
